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The Mirage
Futuristic dystopia AU fanfic yay. It seems to get updated regularly, so don’t miss out!~Limon It's gonna be a fun ride :> Buckle up readers - and wait a year for the next chapter to come barging in. ~Cloud Collab between Cloud and Limon! Chapter 1 It was a starry, quiet, and vivid night in San Remora. City lights flooded the oil-slicked streets, illuminating the way for employees coming from their night shift. The contrast of the alabaster concrete buildings with the soft glow of purple neon was something to behold. Silence was thick in the air, only disturbed by occasional gusts of wind, rattling trees and flimsy structures. In a area of the city known as Shearwater Bay, sitting on the balcony of a shoreline suite, was Emperor, a high class SilkWing. He was part of the Glitterati, the 2nd highest class in San Remora. He lives a life of regulations, diplomacy, and expectations. And while there is always the risk of being downcast, he still lives a life of opulence and comfort. But it was not always this way. Just a few years ago he was toiling in a cubicle office. He was drinking a glass of fine, purple wine, admiring the stunning view of San Remora. It was a truly beautiful city. The Clădire corporation really did do a good job of re-constructing the place. The moment he saw the sunrise make the buildings gleam like pristine, polished gems, he really wasn’t the same anymore. And yet, something about the entire thing was off. Emperor couldn’t really describe it, really. It’s just for some reason, the city he was looking upon, despite its stunning beauty, seemed fake. It shimmered like a mirage, something that wasn’t there. He thought about this while munching on a yam. “It couldn’t be fake.” Emperor reasoned with themselves. “Your journey to the high class was very hard and very real. The work you put in was real. Why do you question the authenticity of it all now? You can relax, you’ve made it.” That made him feel better about the whole thing. But the thought still remained in the back of his mind. His nighttime sojourn to the balcony was something he did every day since he became a part of the Glitterati. When he was a proletariat, he had to work constantly, even when his shift was over. It was the only way he could advance through the ranks. But fortunately, his diligence paid off. Now, he had time to think and enjoy himself, a thing that many proletariats couldn’t enjoy. It was a privilege. A privilege he earned. He finished his yam and went back inside his suite. It was a very modern home. The floors were a sterile white, the spaces were mortar was applied were barely visible. Various gray and white carpets, with various shapes, covered the main high traffic areas of the home. There was a couch and two sofas, all made from black leather, in the living room. His wife, Cuprea, was sitting in one of the sofas, reading a book. Most classes could choose their mate. However, if a Glitterati was important to a corporation, they had arranged marriages. And unfortunately, Emperor was one of the important ones. He was an accounting manager at the Socoteală corporation, a finance company prized for it’s effectiveness in earning, using, and investing money. Emperor checked the work of other accountants and held the sensitive info of their finance. His position allowed him to be flexible and bend the rules a little. It allowed him to put his mind into better use in finding ways to profit. Due to the influence of his position, the Socoteală corporation and the (——) made a board decision to arrange a marriage for Emperor and Cuprea, another high ranking executive. It was an attempt to further unify the two companies in the constant power struggle against the other corporations. It might be crazy, but it’s Emperor's new reality. Fortunately for him, Cuprea was his perfect match. She was smart, hardworking, caring, and had a soul. The two manage to fall in love, and have had a happy marriage for 6 years. ”So, how was the meeting with the corporate board today?” he asked. Cuprea sighed and put down her book, her hazel eyes staring right at him. “Uneventful. The (—) corporation made no move to help us, and we didn’t do anything to help them either. I wish you were there. You always seem to have good ideas.” He smiled a bit at that. “Well, mabye one day I’ll be part of meeting someday.” Emperor then tensed up a bit. “Hey, have you ever had the thought that the society we live in is... wrong?” She thought about it for a moment, her candy red scales reflecting a little bit of light. She looked around nervously, and responded with “Yes. I have.” Emperor was relieved. “Good. I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that sometimes. I wonder what the proletariat or the repudiate think of the world we live in now. Do they sometimes have those thoughts as well?” ”I would say that they do, but I really can’t confirm. With the proletariat focused so much on work, the thought may never appear.” said Cuprea. The two were silent for a moment. Some wind chimes were whistling outside. “Maybe so. But hey, we are the upper class. We have amazing lives together, here in Shearwater bay.“ ”Yes, we do. I’m so happy the board paired us together.“ She wrapped her red and gold wing around him and twined her tail with his. ”As do I.” Emperor responded, returning the affection. The couple stayed like that for a while, looking out towards the balcony. They would live a happy and good life. He was sure of it. ”It’s late. We should get some shuteye. It might be a free day tomorrow for us Glitterati, but we still have that cocktail party to attend too.” said Cuprea, breaking the trance. ”Of course. I‘ll stay up a little bit more though.“ ”Alright then. Don’t make me sleep alone.” ”Don’t worry, I have no plan too.” They both said good night to each other, and Emperor looked out into the starlit sky and faded into his mind once more. Chapter 2 Uluru surveyed the crowd of dragons in her home, hoping she looked like she knew what she was doing. When she had organized this event, she hadn't quite planned out what to say. The feelings were strong and deeply ingrained, but no one else seemed to agree. "Wait a second…" started a HiveWing in the audience. "So we're going to rebel and everything…" Uluru coldly glared and nodded. "How?" The SandWing tried not to scream, taking a moment to just… breathe. She slowly opened her eyes, looking out over the crowd shoved into the basement. "That's… what we're here for." She took another breath, muttering something about ignorant idiots. "Well then." This time it was a SeaWing, who had unusually vibrant purple scales. "Why? Isn't it pretty comfortable here? I know we're about as low as you can get, but -" Wasn't that all they had been talking about? Here? For the past thirty minutes? She didn't hear the rest of the SeaWing's words, focusing instead on not exploding on her possible allies. Besides, she had heard it all already. She felt a tail curl around her own, and glanced at Maldive, who was still looking ahead. There was no eye contact, but she still found herself calming down, her heartbeat slowing. She had Maldive, at least. The SeaWing was calm and somehow managed to get her calm too. Uluru managed a few more breaths. "Like you said." She stared, pausing a moment to consider what she was saying to once. "We are the lowest class, and society is against us. When's the last time someone became a Proletariat?" There was a pause, then murmurs. Uluru could feel the triumph coursing through her, but she kept it under control. A child - a young SandWing waved his talons. "You took the time to remember all these names? Even grandma doesn't." She found herself sighing inwardly. The SandWing stood, waiting impatiently on her makeshift stage - really just a large table with a cloth on top. Finally, the last little whispers died away. Uluru looked over towards Maldive, who nodded slowly, taking a step forward. The SeaWing didn't quite agree with Uluru's ideals, but she was willing to back up a friend, through just about everything. Uluru couldn't ask for any more. Maldive stood, looking at the crowd. "I know you are comfortable with your lives." She began, her voice even. "However, this is not a fair place to be in. We are the Repudiated, for we wanted creative freedom. We wished to be artists and writers, to be creative rather than toil away for conventional success." The room was silent, in a way that Uluru hadn't managed. It both… hurt and… made her look up to Maldive even more. "You all have asked Uluru here to explain why we should start an uprising." She paused, "We should escape the chains of conventions. In this crowd, we are all creative dragons, and this world won't give us an outlet. So… we have to pave that way by ourselves." There was no applause, instead everyone had fallen silent, thinking. Uluru found herself smiling slightly. Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad after all. Suddenly, a sole clap sounded out, and before long there was a cacophony loud enough to blow her ears off. Uluru waited as patiently as she could for the audience to calm down. And waited some more... and some more... And stare at that one enthusiastic member until he weakly smiled and stopped slamming her talons together... Uluru let out a breath, stretching her mouth as far as it could go. "Now... it's a bit late tonight..." Maldive rolled her eyes, and Uluru glanced over for a moment. "So we'll wrap up for today. Anyone still interested in aiding the... movement... come here next week. Same place, same time. Remember, they can't stop us all." The applause started again, thankfully shorter this time. As the audience congregated, slowly moving through the few doors, Uluru found herself relaxing. Maldive leaned on her, a playful smile on her face. "Aren't you glad that we didn't fail?" The SandWing nodded, following her friend out of the basement. "You know what, this might not be too bad of an idea. They're actually trusting us, although you did that part." Maldive nodded. "I'm just following your lead." She said, almost absentmindedly. "You're very good with radical ideas, Uluru. I'm happy to make them flow a bit better, and be a little more convincing. For you." She stepped towards her quarters. "Good night." Uluru nodded, heading on to hers. The hallway's curve always distracted her. She stepped into her room, looking out. There was the city, in all its glory. She could see out perfectly, even up to where the Execs lived. It was odd, being able to look that far. It meant that the skies were extremely clear this night. Uluru sat there, considering the view. She could see the complex, circling around the city. It always entertained her - all the Repudiated lived here, in the ring surrounding the city. Really just a glorified wall. She let that amused thought carry her through the motions of preparing for sleep, and finally laid down her bed. It had been a busy, stressful day... but not half bad. Chapter 3 Ani’s entire adulthood was work. And as it seemed now, it would stay that way for a long time. It was high noon in San Remora, the city’s busiest hour. Phyrrians and Pantalans alike were buzzing and shifting around, all with different destinations to go to. Ani’s destination was her office in downtown San Remora, and on the SkyWings back, she had a case of documents, as well as lunches for her fellow cubicle neighbors. She was quickly swerving and weaving around everyone else as she made a beeline towards the complex. The buildings were glossy, sprinkling rays of light on the covered sidewalks bellow. On top of most of these buildings were massive electronic billboards, constantly showing advertisements for all of the corporations. They didn’t stay the same for long. A few seconds later, a new ad would be in its place. Normally, Ani would pay attention to the billboards, but she was in a rush. She slowed down when she saw an Apărător Company guard around the corner, and then speed up after she cleared them. It wasn’t because running was against the rules. The problem lied with the officers themselves. They were incredibly dedicated to their job. They would scan anyone for ANY kind of slip up, and then they would be taken away to be demoted, swiftly and brutally. As such, everyone was careful around them. She didn’t dwell on the thought and kept moving forward. Ani’s life was a blur. The days and years seemed to pass by meaninglessly. Her working hours were long and hard, only to repeat the cycle again. But that was alright. The work might be endless, yes, but it had rewards. She had food on the table and a roof over her head. How could she complain? That’s right, she really couldn’t. She eventually made it to her office building. It was a pearly white, with stripes of blue going diagonal across. It was shaped like a cube and had about 8 floors. Ani pushed the glass doors and stepped inside. She paid no heed to the lobby and headed up the stairwell until she got to the 7th floor. She went towards the office rooms, were some of the higher-tier workers did their jobs instead of cubicles. She placed a lunch inside a delivery box outside and did the same to the rest. Afterward, she went into her own office. It was a nice office. It had a grey carpet floor, with a potted fern in the top right corner. There was a white desk made with durable plastic, formed like a crescent, along with a grey swivel chair. Good for long hours. Ani sat in her chair, took out the documents she brought with her, and prepared for another 6 hours of work. Chapter 4 Celestial let out a yawn as the lazy sunlight painted her room in various shades of gold. It was early, she noted. The NightWing pushed herself up, reaching up to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She needed to look presentable. She stood, letting the yawn out until it subsided. After a wobbly moment, she walked over to the window, letting the sun color the city displayed far below her. Hm… perhaps the buildings on the edge needed to be taller, to hide the filth of the Repudiated from view. However, that would.... She snorted, shaking her head. The same conversation ran through every day, and she never did anything. She just had to deal with the dark, curved scar across the landscape. After all, she had put it there. The NightWing turned back inside, towards the bathroom. She paused in front of the mirror, examining herself with a critical eye. "Hm… Celeste." She said, "You need to polish your scales… and stretch. Go for the little flight first." Her reflection nodded back, dutifully. "No, after you look better." She headed out a few minutes later, nodding towards the guard by her door. She didn't like that he belonged to another corporation, but her own wasn't concerned with security. She glanced back with a scrutinizing eye a few paces down the hall. He wasn't threatening. She hoped. "Well, Celeste." She muttered to herself, and she walked down the hall, with the gracious gait that was second nature, "You need to stop being so nervous. If he does something stupid, he loses his job. You don't need to worry." She found herself on a balcony, with the spire stretching up far behind her. She needed to get some of her employees to add another one, farther up. There was a small squeak behind her, and she glanced back. Ah. The servant, who was holding a hot cup of coffee. With milk and no cream. Just like she liked it. Celestial tilted her head in acknowledgement, before opening her wings. The sun was even more glorious now, as she swooped around the city. It was beautiful, she decided. Of course it was. She had personally overseen its construction. She let out a cry of joy, before quickly shutting her mouth. Shouldn't lose it in front of her servant. After all, the SilkWing had been trained by a different corporation. Celestial settled on top of her spire, looking out towards the city once more. It had already woken up, Proletarians rushing towards their jobs, lights visible in the wall of Repudiated surrounding the city. The Glitterati was just rousing, preparing for their morning meetings. The Execs had probably awakened already, stressing over their market shares and how the companies were doing. She was probably the luckiest here. After all, other architecture companies didn't have a place to squeeze in. In this city, it was a monopoly. Perhaps it distanced her from the others, the bliss of not having to worry about a competitor overtaking her work. She shrugged. They didn't really understand all the work that went into designing this thing, then speaking to other Execs about how to provide materials, add the infrastructure and piping, and - Celestial let out a sigh. Even if she did complain, the others wouldn't understand. Not their line of work. At least she could rest easy now - Wait just one moment. Celestial took to the sky, circling around another Exec's spire. Socoteală Corp, if she remembered correctly. Yes, of course. Of course they had to add more to the building. Look, the entire proportion of the thing had been destroyed! And it was all to beat her own home in height. She let out a frustrated sigh. For three years now, the mansions and homes only grew taller and thinner, hoping to reach farther up into the sky than each other. Celestial dived towards her balcony, landing gently. Servant still there. She accepted her coffee, taking a long sip of the hot drink. The day was off to an irritating start. She finished, placing the cup back into the SilkWing's waiting talons. Celestial walked back inside, her gait not revealing much about her mood. She'd been in the office at the base of her building in half an hour, for another one of those negotiation meetings. That meant more coffee. Then she'd have some breakfast, relax in the (----) library for half the day. Then lunch. Then - She frowned. Was it one, or two meetings in the afternoon? She could check. Her secretary kept everything marvelously organized. Then starting the blueprint for an expansion of her spire. She could afford the extra material. Give the Socoteală a real shock. They had added a small extension to the point of their spire. She would - would, hmm. Make their jaws drop, somehow. She just wasn't sure yet. Celestial's reflection gave her a confident grin. She could do this. The day was one of her busier ones, but she could find space. The Socoteală would get a run for their money. After all, she was the Exec of Clădire. Chapter 5 The Glitterati are a unique bunch. Although they live in the constant notion that any mistake could destroy their world of luxury, they are quite relaxed. They form small groups and meet up on restaurant terraces and parks, and they have a good time. Emperor was part of one of those groups. Every Saturday of the second week of the month(yes, it’s that specific.) He and Cuprea meet up with some fellow elite at the (—) restaurant and have a informative conversation over some honey drops and drinks. It might not seem like much, but Emperor loved these meetups. It was nice talking to someone with a different perspective. And boy, did he have something to talk about once he was ready. He was putting on jewelry and perfume on his recently polished scales. Appearance was everything in Pantala. The way you looked and smelled immediately identified your class, all thanks to (-). They set the trends and cosmetics, and specifically overprice high-end accessories to make sure only the Glitterati can afford them. The same applied to the Proletariat and the Repudiated; the lower class couldn’t afford the higher class items. After Emperor finished his makeover, he looked in the mirror to inspect his work. He wore a small, metal headband the color of silver, with a green jewel in the middle, which contrasted with his emerald green scales and grey underbelly. He had a silver necklace with no ornament, and on both wrists were two thin, blue colored armbands. He didn’t like rings and never wore any besides for his wedding ring, which he wore at all times. It was a simple gold ring, but it weighed enough to signify its importance. Emperor‘s pale green eyes started back at him. He did truly look nice. Normally, he was modest enough to not wear his jewelry inside his house, but when it came to the outside world, that was a different story. He finished up and went to the front door to Cuprea, who was dressed in a similar fashion, but had all gold jewelry instead of silver. They both went outside to the promenade, side by side, and made their way towards the terrace. Of course, flying there would be faster, but then he wouldn’t be able to soak up the beauty of the promenade. It was made up of two lanes of polished granite, one going the opposite direction of the other, separated by white concrete planter boxes of luscious, pink cherry blossom. The pedals danced in the air, twisting and swirling before they met the welcoming ground below them. The sun was making its journey across the sky, ready to relinquish its duty into the moon’s welcoming embrace. Glitterati were strolling around, admiring illustrious shop fronts and metallic modern art, made by the repudiated who had time to do such things. Emperor and Cuprea strolled some more until they made it to the terrace. It had a view of the ocean, glistering in rays of gold and orange from the sun‘s rays that it greedily swallowed. They made their way to a table outside were their friends were waiting; Santviento the SandWing, Sycamore and Poinsettia, a married LeafWing couple, Parula the MudWing, and Argent the IceWing. The SandWing noticed them and motioned them to come over to the table. ”Good afternoon, everyone.” said Emperor, smiling a little. “I hope Cuprea and I weren’t too late.” ”Oh, not at all! We’ve just arrived here a minute ago. Here, take a seat.” said Santviento. Santviento was the most interesting dragon in the elite circle. For one, he used to be an Exec, the class that ran the world. He was born in luxury that Emperor couldn’t even fathom the thought of it. He had his entire life set right from the get-go. But, it seemed that Santviento didn’t want that life. He was constantly rebellious and a thorn in the Execs side. He wanted to be free of the regulations and formality of his class. Normally, Execs never went downcast; they were too important to the corporations to lose. But seeing that Santviento was more of a burden than necessary and that he was more than happy to escape his current life, he was demoted and banished to the seaside district of the Glitterati. Not wanting to work countless hours a day as a Proletariat, he sharpened up and toned down a bit. But even now, you could tell he wasn’t completely reformed. Unlike most Glitterati, Santviento wasn’t decked from top to bottom in jewelry. The only things he had on his tan, clay-like scales were his silver armband and gold glasses that covered his equally golden eyes. Emperor and Cuprea took their seats at the table and began to converse with the others there. It wasn’t very interesting talk, just on how life was going and vacation plans during the free days. The joked, laughed, agreed, and disagreed. But this was just the beginning. Once the wine came out, the important talk began, and it was Emperor's favorite thing to do. ”So I’ve heard from the Clădire corporation that we might be able to have Repudiated servants in our homes.” said Parula. ”Really? Isn't that basically slavery? asked Sycamore. He has been hatched into the Glitterati way of life, unlike Emperor, and was a bit of a snob. His arranged marriage wife, Poinsettia, was just as much of a snob as he was. They didn’t get along as well as him and Cuprea, but it wasn’t the worst. They were alright dragons. ”Well, not exactly. You have to sign a paid contracted with them for a certain amount of time, but it’s a minimal amount of money. Any Glitterati could afford one. They would work around the house, cleaning, cooking, serving, things like that.” explained Parula. ”But that seems horrible.” said Cuprea. “Who would ever agree to such a thing?” ”You‘d be surprised.” said Argent. “Some dragons genuinely like servitude. And others desperately want a helping claw on their way up the class ladder. I’ve been in that position.” The best word to describe Argent would be workaholic. Hatched in a family of repudiated, she worked harder than any other Glitterati could ever imagine. Industrious and opportunistic, she climbed the class ladder quickly and settled down here. If anyone deserved to be a Glitterati, it was most definitely her. ”Whatever anyone,s thoughts on the subject are the one thing we know is that it will definitely change things. I’m interested in how it turns out.” said Santviento, taking another sip of wine. The was a moment of silence in the group. ”Hey everyone,” Emperor asked in a small voice. “Have any of you had the idea or feeling that the world we live in is fake, a lie? That everything isn’t as peachy as we make it out to be?” Another moment of silence. Everyone at the table hesitated, then simply nodded their heads. ”Yes, I’ve had those thoughts for the longest time.” said Santviento, quietly. “We aren’t alone, either. I and Parula recently joined an idealist group in the Ocean Pier district, not too far from here.“ He took out a white paper card and handed it to Emperor. ”If you want to join them, follow the instructions on the card, it will take you there. You‘re going to need a UV light in order to reveal the wording, just like in those old detective books we used to have.” Emperor stared at the seemingly blank card. “Thank you. I’ll definitely be there at the next meeting. How about the rest of you?” Sycamore shook his head. “We don’t want to take the risk involved. We are happy where we are in society, fake or not.” He gestured towards Argent. “And you?” ”It's the same story.” ”That's understandable. But I’m not going to forget that the idea exists, so I will do something about it, risks or no risks.“ said Emperor. He felt that he was getting closer to the truth of the world. He just needed more help. I never thought you would feel the same way. Anyways,“ said Santviento, “You mind if we talk about something else for the meantime?” "Sure thing. I didn't want to get philosophical anyway. How about news on the Proletaria?” And so the night went on as it normally did, but this time, winds of change started to blow across the city. Chapter 6 Maldive stared out the window, silent even as Uluru fidgeted behind her. The SeaWing had passed by outside earlier, her glasses askew upon her snout, her talons uncharacteristically loud against the thinly carpeted floor. And now she was here, in Uluru's room, staring out across the city. Uluru watched the back of her head, for a while. She managed to lose herself for a moment, studying the orange light cast across her light blue gills. But the SandWing quickly lost interest. Her friend seemed almost... agitated, taking deep breaths as her claws dug into the windowsill. Just as Uluru was about to give up on being patient, Maldive turned around. "Society." She said flatly. "Is an idiot." Uluru was about to open her mouth, but the SeaWing quickly picked up her train of thought. "We're useless, we're the filth of this place. And naturally, they want to shove it in our snouts." The SandWing waited for a few beats. "... What do you mean?" She stared carefully at Maldive's face, stilling her talons as she tried to puzzle out the emotions behind it. "There was an announcement today." Maldive said, sitting down slowly. "They're turning us into servants." "Don't…" "No, listen." The SeaWing was up again in a moment, pacing. "Before, all the servants were private employees, Repudiated or Protalarients pretty enough or submissive enough to work in an Exec's home. But now -" She broke off, took a breath. "They've decided it's a good idea to expand it. Make a public program, where Repudiated are trained, so they can be thrown in the house of a Glitterati and paid less than what we already have! For that dream of becoming worth something ourselves, I assume." She abruptly stopped, closing her eyes to take a few deep breaths. Uluru had often tried that tactic before - without much success. However, it seemed to do wonders for Maldive. When she opened her eyes, they were staring straight ahead, resolute. "They are trying to take our freedom." She said. "We are the nothing, the ones that slip through the cracks. And that gives us freedom. And they will take it away. The project is a draft, but it's practically complete already - and signing up will likely be mandatory for us." Another slow, forced breath. "I don't understand why the Clădire is doing this." Silence reigned, blanketing over the conversation with its suffocating breath. Uluru was acutely aware of the clock on the wall, ticking slowly towards the end of the weekend. To where they'd have to work again, in the jobs they were barely worthy of having. "What… can we do about?" She asked finally. Maldive glanced over, her cool green eyes locking onto Uluru's black ones. "Well…" She said slowly, although it was clear she had long decided. "It seems like your rebellion is a good idea after all." Chapter 7 Ani walked toward’s the management section of her office complex. It was 8 PM, and she had just worked overtime. All she had to do was deliver these papers to her manager, and she could finally get some shuteye. She rasped her talons against the door of the office. “Come in.” A voice called out from within. Ani opened the door. Inside, a orange skywing was shifting through some papers. On his desk was a nameplate. It read:Jackdaw, corporate manager. ''He looked up from his papers and smiled at the guest. “Ah, Ani. My most loyal and hardworking employee. What can I help you with?” ”I’ve done some overtime work and I was sent to you. I believe you are the recipient?” ”That is correct. Give them to me.” he said in a slightly commanding tone. Ani relinquished the almond scented papers, the silver text glinting in the fluorescent lights of the office. Only vital papers were scented and filled with glamour. Even in the world of paperwork, classism and appearance was still present. ”Hmmm. Yes, these will do nicely. Thank you Ani. You keep this up, the management position might have an extra member.” ”Thank you sir. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ani quickly left the office in haste. As clean and posh her workplace was, all she wanted was to go to her apartment. She went through the front entrance and the city enveloped her, and took off in the starlit sky. From her vantage point, she could she the other employees burning the nighttime oil. San Remora never truly sleeps. There’s always employees working, no matter what time of day it was. A RainWing was cleaning the windows of a research building, a IceWing carrying some boxes of produce. They all moved around in silence, with no intention of speaking. That‘s just how it was in Ani’s world. Work was everything to the individual. And if you worked hard enough, you will be rewarded. These truths were here since Ani could remember. She pushed any notion of change aside. It wasn’t going to happen. The current system was the best working out of all the others. It wasn’t long until Ani reached her apartment. She quickly set down her work stuff and immediately started to get ready for some shuteye, After drinking a warm glass of milk and 30 minutes of stretches, Ani went to sleep, awaiting the sweet dreams that she knew would come. Chapter 8 Celestial's talon slammed onto the table. "So you wrote a full article, have been working on this for a month, and published a plan of action, all ''without first consulting me?" She picked up the article, displaying it coldly. "I can see the next one already. 'Full Committee Fired for Lack of Communication.' Is that what you want?" Her voice was even, but cold, and it seemed to chill the air in the room. Everyone was still in their seats, waiting carefully for her to calm. And it wasn't happening soon. "I have a full company to watch over." She growled. "However, we currently do not need to worry about much. There are renovations needed in Shearwater Bay, but that doesn't mean I'm too busy to listen to such a proposal. This will change the brand of the company - we can't have that! We already have a monopoly in this market, any attempt to spread would be squashed by competitors -" Her voice was growing higher with each word, more agitated with each second. "And of all things, servants! Why?" She looked around, examining each dragon. She took a few breaths, before slowly sitting down. "I'd appreciate if you would explain." There was silence, for a brief eternity. "Um," It was a MudWing who broke the silence. "We believed it was a possible plan of action. We've been falling behind in the markets, Tia -" "It's Celestial." "Celestial. We need something big right now - before a faceless nobody ends up on top. We need something new. It runs tangential to our brand, currently, however. There isn't a company that specializes in it, and there is likely a market for servants. You have one, but it shouldn't be limited to the Execs. If the Glitterati could hire them - think of the business opportunities." "We. Are. An architectural company." Celestial said slowly. "We build and design, we don't… set up servitude. Think about our brand! This could change in so many ways, and we can't set up a new company without it breaking off, and likely taking half of our assets with them." Her voice was raising again. "Listen." A HiveWing snapped, adjusting the glasses perched on his nose. "I understand that you are upset, but we need to avoid undermining ourselves. The damage has already been done, so let us accept it, and move on. We have to satisfy the public, and that means continuing our plans." Celestial opened her mouth, then slowly shut it. "Fine." She said. "I'll leave it be, but if another such incident happens again, the full committee will be punished as I see fit. Brilliant endeavour or not, you need to speak to me first. Understand?" There was a series of affirmative noises and polite nods. "Good." With that, she stormed as graciously as a furious dragon could out of the meeting, giving the door a loud slam as she left. She soon found herself in her room, looking out across the city, trying to lose herself in thoughts on improvement. "Well," she started. "Beyond the structure improvements ... the wall. Yes. The Repudiated population is growing… they need more space. Yet the wall doesn't circle all the way around…" She was facing the bay, watching the glittering water. The wall surrounded the city - except this one spot. After all, Shearwater Bay was a beautiful place, and the Glitterati needed to have the scenery. "Expanding upward would cast too much shadow on the Prolitarient streets, and moving in would encroach on our territory. Adding another layer of halls would take far too much time, especially with the new - " She cut the thought short. "We need to expand downwards." She nodded slowly. "That would improve the fortifications as well, and we can use that earth to…" She blinked, her voice falling silent. Yes, yes. She knew what to do. Things would turn out alright. If the public complained, she'd be happy to withdraw the program. Even if not… it'd be okay. She'd have to keep on telling herself that. After all, the public had been rather welcoming to the proposal... ignoring the Repudiated, of course. They would be affected the most. Yet they were also the scum of society. Their opinion didn't really matter, did they? Chapter 9 “Are you sure about this, Empreor?” asked Cuprea. “Is it really worth it in your eyes?” Emperor mulled over the thought. If there was one thing that got him were he is now, It´s that he listened to his head instead of the heart. Every decision was carefully analyzed and every consequence scrutinized, until a rational, logical choice was decided. That´s just how Emperor‘s mind worked. Those lead by the heart were weak. Their decisions were biased, were rationality and logic is drowned out in a dramatic, incompetent flood of emotions. ”Yes, it is worth everything there is to risk, because there is little to risk.” ”What do you mean? You could lose the position you worked so hard for. You could even be fired!” Cuprea exclaimed. Emperor let out a laugh at the statement. “Cuprea, my darling, I can’t lose my position unless the Socoteală corporation wants to lose a huge investment. You see, my position is a very valuable one. As the lead accountant, I have access to incredibly sensitive financial documents. The other corporations would practically do anything to get their claws on that information. If they fire me, whats going to stop me from leaking the documents to the other companies in exchange for a job? Not to mention how long it would take to hire another lead accountant. In their ignorance, the Socoteală believes that I’m too trapped in the corporate wheel to do anything rash, and in doing so have trapped themselves. And not to mention our corporate marriage! If I get fired, the bond between the Socoteală and the ( ) would be severed, which would be an absolutly massive blow to them. It would take them some time to recover from that, if ever.” he explained, words erupting from his mouth rapidly. It was one of his downsides. Emperor has so many things to express, that his words get all tangled up and messy. Fortunately, Cuprea got the message. “Oh... oh, it all connects so intricately, yet so delicate.“ she mused. “It’s just like a stained glass sculpture. So beautiful, yet so very fragile... In that case, I believe you should go. Find out what the movement is all about, and then tell me. If you have diplomatic immunity, so do I.” ”Good plan. I’d better leave soon. Don’t want to keep change waiting for us, do we?” Emperor planted a kiss on Cuprea’s cheek, and left to the streets. A soft drizzle descended upon Shearwater Bay, quietly descending on the pristine concrete below. Emperor swiftly swerved around the streets, pay no real heed to any other pedestrians paddling along. After putting Santviento’s card in a UV light, he managed to get an address to the organization‘s meeting place. It seemed to be some kind of club called the (). It seemed pretty occupied, which decreased Emperor’s suspicions that it might have been some elaborate trap to catch curious Glitterati like him. Besides, even if it was, he would have a good chance of escaping scott-free. His corporation trusted him quite a bit. After contemplating the risks, Emperor stepped in. It was just a normal nightclub. The halls were dimmed significantly, and rows of LEDS were everywhere. Floors, walls, ceiling, you named it. They gave the building a blue/pinkish hue, and a few feet away Emperor could see even more flashing lights. But fortunately, he wasn't here to see the dance room. He went up to the MudWing cashier up front. ”Welcome! It looks to me that you’re a newcomer! Thats good, that’s good. I wouldn’t recommend staying sobre for too long though. The music is absolutely abysmal.” she said. ”Ah. Well, I’m not here to party. I believe you are hosting a local group here?” Emperor asked, carefully wording his speech. ”Oh, them? Sure, it’s right down the hallway, 5th door to your right.” ”I see. Thank you for your time.” (Add kewl quote here) Emperor made his way down the hallway. He was feeling something, but he wasn’t quite sure. Suspense? Fear? Closure? Eh, it didn’t matter. After he reached the right door, he knocked. A muffled, masculine voice came from the other side. ”Give me a minute! I’m currently arguing with a bunch of angry rich dragons and some Exec whose breaking all kinds of security clearances.” Finally, after exactly one minute, the door opened, and a slightly infuriated RainWing poked his head out. ”Sorry about that, some dragons are incredibly stubborn. Kind of reminds me of my high school classmates... Anyways, come in! Santviento‘s been expecting you.“ Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions Category:Alternate Universes Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Content (Cloud the IceWing) Category:Collaborations